From student to Enterprising Director

Aged 18 Carol Watts flew the vast distance from her Hong Kong home to study in Middlesbrough. She enrolled on a BA (Hons) degree at the former Teesside Polytechnic, where she met her future husband and settled in the area. Over 16 years after graduating, Carol has returned to the University as Director of Enterprise Programmes in Teesside Business School. These programmes include a new Enterprise Masters degree.

Carol, 39, lives in Nunthorpe with her husband Jonathan and their two sons. She was born in Nottingham and moved with her sister and parents to Hong Kong at the age of 11. They relocated to the Far East due to her father’s post with an electricity generating firm. After achieving three A levels at her English speaking school, Carol applied to study for a modular arts degree at Teesside Polytechnic.

Carol said: “I wasn’t that familiar with the UK, I only knew Scotland when I visited my grandparents. I knew nothing about Middlesbrough; I came over for the course. Middlesbrough seemed so small in comparison to Hong Kong, but now I love the area, it’s got everything I love on the doorstep, shopping, the country and the seaside.

“When I first came to the former Polytechnic at 18 I never thought I’d end up working there. And never as Director of Programmes in the same building where I’d studied!”

Carol stayed at the Polytechnic to study for a Personnel Management diploma. She went on to work in several roles, mainly in training and development. Her employers and clients included the private, public and voluntary sector.

Carol returned to the University earlier this year. She said: “The University is another world from when I graduated. There are new facilities, everything is better in all respects. There are students on computers everywhere and there is no comparison between the old and new library. The whole place feels completely different.”

In her Director role, Carol oversees a new Enterprise Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Starting in September, the two-year part-time Enterprise MBA is aimed at Directors, owner-managers, senior personnel and managers of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Students will attend the University for two days a month over an 18-month period, followed by a self-managed project lasting six months.

Areas of study include:

Examining how the global economy will impact on your business. Exploring how to take and develop an idea, to transform it into a working business concept.

Carol added: “The MBA is practical and flexible, to meet the individual’s real needs. In addition, we will have a number of guest speakers, who will share their experiences and expertise.”

European Social Funding subsidies are available for the Enterprise MBA’s course fees. For more information call Teesside Business School on 01642 342871 or e-mail c.watts@tees.ac.uk.

Carol’s retired mother Jackie has followed in her daughter’s footsteps, completing a short course in Information Technology at the University.

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